Gillian Pinder (born 5 May 1992) is an Ireland women's field hockey international. She was a member of the Ireland team that played in the

2018 Women's Hockey World Cup The 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup was the 14th edition of the Women's Hockey World Cup, a field hockey tournament. It was held from 21 July to 5 August 2018 at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in London, England. Defending champions t ...

final. Pinder has also won Irish Senior Cup and

Women's Irish Hockey League The Women's Irish Hockey League is a field hockey league organised by Hockey Ireland that features women's teams from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The league was first played for during the 2008–09 season. It replaced the A ...

titles with UCD.

Early years, family and education

Pinder is the daughter of Alan and Mary Pinder. Her father, Alan, is originally from

Mullingar Mullingar ( ; ) is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Region, with a population of 20,928 in the 2016 census. The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act 1543 proclaimed Westmeat ...

. Her sister, Laura, is also a field hockey player and has played for Hermes-Monkstown in the

and the EuroHockey Club Champions Cup . Pinder was educated at St. Andrew's College,

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

and

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...

. She graduated from UCD with a Bachelor of Business and Law.

Club career

St. Andrew's College

Pinder played

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ci ...

for St. Andrew's College in a team that also included her sister, Laura and

Chloe Watkins Chloe Watkins (born 7 March 1992) is an Ireland women's field hockey international. She was a member of the Ireland team that played in the 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup final. Watkins made her 200th senior international appearance for Ireland ...

. She played in three Leinster Schoolgirls' Senior Cup finals, regularly playing against teams that included future

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

teammates. In the 2007 final, Pinder and Watkins lost 5–0 to an

Alexandra College Alexandra College ( ir, Coláiste Alexandra) is a fee-charging boarding and day school for girls located in Milltown, Dublin, Ireland. The school operates under a Church of Ireland ethos. History The school was founded in 1866 and takes its ...

team that featured

Nicola Evans Nicola Evans (born 17 January 1990), also referred to as Nikki Evans, is an Ireland women's field hockey international. She was a member of the Ireland team that played in the 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup final. Evans has also won Women's Ir ...

. In the 2009 final St. Andrew's faced Loreto, Beaufort and

Hannah Matthews Hannah Matthews (born 24 March 1991) is an Ireland women's field hockey international. She was a member of the Ireland team that played in the 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup final. Matthews has also won Irish Senior Cup and Women's Irish Hockey ...

. This time St. Andrew's won 2–0 after extra time. In the 2010 final Pinder scored the opening goal in a 2–0 win. Watkins captained St. Andrew's as they defeated an Alexandra College team that featured

Deirdre Duke Deirdre Duke (born 9 June 1992) is an Ireland women's national field hockey team, Ireland women's field hockey international. She was a member of the Ireland team that played in 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup final. Duke has also won Irish Senior ...

and

Emily Beatty Emily Beatty (born 18 August 1993) is an Ireland women's field hockey international. She was a member of the Ireland team that played in the 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup final. Beatty has also won Irish Senior Cup and Women's Irish Hockey L ...

. In 2010 Pinder and Watkins were also members of the St. Andrew's College team that won the Kate Russell All-Ireland Schoolgirls Championship, defeating Coláiste Iognáid, Galway 3–1 in the final. On 10 September 2018, after their success at the

Women's Hockey World Cup The Women's FIH Hockey World Cup is the field hockey World Cup competition for women, whose format for qualification and the final tournament is similar to the men's. It has been held since 1974. The tournament has been organized by the Internat ...

, Watkins and Pinder returned to St. Andrew's to share their experience with the current students at St. Andrew's. Pinder also began managing the hockey programme at St. Andrew's.

Hermes

In 2008–09 Pinder together with

Anna O'Flanagan Anna O'Flanagan (born 18 February 1990) is an Ireland women's field hockey international. She was a member of the Ireland team that played in the 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup final. O'Flanagan has also won Irish Senior Cup and Women's Irish ...

and

, was a member of the

Hermes Hermes (; grc-gre, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orato ...

team that were runners up in the inaugural

season. Pinder also played for Hermes in the 2010–11 Irish Senior Cup final as Hermes lost 3–1 to

Pegasus Pegasus ( grc-gre, Πήγασος, Pḗgasos; la, Pegasus, Pegasos) is one of the best known creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine stallion usually depicted as pure white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as hor ...

. Her teammates on this occasion included her sister, Laura,

and Anna O'Flanagan. In 2012, along with

Mary Goode Mary Goode (born 15 May 1979) is a former Ireland women's field hockey international. She has also played senior club field hockey for Pembroke Wanderers and Hermes. Domestic teams Goode was a Pembroke Wanderers player when she made her sen ...

and

Audrey O'Flynn Audrey O'Flynn is an Ireland women's rugby sevens international. O'Flynn represented Ireland at the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens. O'Flynn is also a former Ireland women's field hockey international. Between 2010 and 2014, O'Flynn made 120 appe ...

, Pinder was a member of the Hermes team that won the Women's EuroHockey Club Champion's Challenge I, defeating Lille Metropole 3–1 in the final.

Syracuse Orange

In 2012 Pinder attended

on a hockey scholarship. She subsequently helped

Syracuse Orange The Syracuse Orange are the athletic teams that represent Syracuse University. The school is a member of NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Coast Conference. Until 2013, Syracuse was a member of the Big East Conference. The school's mascot is ...

win the 2012

Big East The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...

Regular Season. She also helped Syracuse reach the 2012 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship semi-finals. At Syracuse, together with Emma Russell and Liz McInerney, Pinder formed a forward line that featured three future Ireland internationals.

UCD

Pinder started playing for UCD in 2013. She subsequently scored for UCD on her

debut against her former team,

. In 2013–14, together with

Katie Mullan Kathryn "Katie" Mullan (born 7 April 1994) is an Ireland women's field hockey international player from Coleraine, Northern Ireland. She was captain of the Ireland team that played in the 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup final. Mullan has also wo ...

and

she was a member of the UCD team that defeated Pembroke Wanderers 2–0 in the Irish Senior Cup final. In the same season she helped UCD win their first Women's Irish Hockey League title. Pinder also played for UCD in the 2015 EuroHockey Club Champions Cup. In 2016–17 she won a second Irish Senior Cup with UCD when, together with

Elena Tice Elena Joy Tice (born 16 November 1997), also referred to as Lena Tice, is an Ireland women's field hockey international. She was a member of the Ireland team that played in the 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup final. Tice is also an Ireland women ...

, Katie Mullan and Deirdre Duke, she was a member of the UCD team that defeated

Cork Harlequins Cork Harlequins Hockey and Cricket Club is a multi-sports club based in the Douglas area of Cork in Ireland. The club was founded in 1925. Although Harlequins is best known for its field hockey and cricket teams, during its history the club has ...

1–0 in the final. The 2016–17 season also saw Pinder help UCD win their second Women's Irish Hockey League title. UCD and Pinder subsequently completed a national treble when they also won the EY Champions Trophy after defeating Hermes-Monkstown in a

penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...

Pembroke Wanderers

The 2017–18 season saw Pinder play for Pembroke Wanderers in the

. Her teammates at Wanderers included

Ireland international

Pinder represented

at Under-16, Under-18 and Under-21 levels before making her senior debut. She made her senior international debut on 24 April 2011 against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. In March 2015 Pinder was a member of the Ireland team that won a 2014–15 Women's FIH Hockey World League Round 2 tournament hosted in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, defeating

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

in the final after a

. She was also a member of the Ireland team that won the 2015 Women's EuroHockey Championship II, defeating the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

5–0 in the final. In January 2017 she was also a member of the Ireland team that won a

2016–17 Women's FIH Hockey World League Round 2 The 2016–17 Women's FIH Hockey World League Round 2 was held from January to April 2017. A total of 24 teams competing in 3 events took part in this round of the tournament playing for 8 berths in the Semifinals, to be played in June and July 201 ...

tournament in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

, defeating

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

3–0 in the final. On 12 July 2017 in the 2016–17 Women's FIH Hockey World League Semifinals she scored a "thunderbolt" of a goal against

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

, which was described as one of the highlights of Ireland's

qualification campaign. Pinder represented Ireland at the

and was a prominent member of the team that won the silver medal. She featured in all of Ireland's games throughout the tournament, including the pool games against the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, the quarter-final against India, the semi-final against

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and the final against the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. In the semi-final against Spain, Pinder scored twice in the

. After successfully converting the sudden death penalty, she sent Ireland through to the final.

Occupation

Together with

Lizzie Colvin Elizabeth "Lizzie" Holden ( Colvin, born 4 January 1990) is a retired Ireland women's field hockey international. She was a member of the Ireland team that played in the 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup final. Colvin has also won Irish Senior Cup ...

and

, Pinder was one of five lawyers in the Ireland squad at the

Honours

;

**''Runners Up'':

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

Women's FIH Hockey World League The Women's FIH Hockey World League was an international women's field hockey competition organised by the International Hockey Federation. The league also served as a qualifier for the 2014 and 2018 Women's Hockey World Cups and the 2016 Oly ...

**''Winners'': 2015 Dublin, 2017 Kuala Lumpur *Women's EuroHockey Championship II **''Winners'':

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

Women's Hockey Champions Challenge I The Women's Hockey Champions Challenge I was an international field hockey tournament, played every two years. It was introduced in 2002 by the International Hockey Federation in order to broaden hockey's competitive base at world level. The Cha ...

**''Runners Up'':

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

* Women's FIH Hockey Series **''Runners Up'': 2019 Banbridge *Women's Four Nations Cup **''Runners Up'':

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

; UCD *

**''Winners'': 2013–14, 2016–17: 2 * Irish Senior Cup **''Winners'': 2013–14, 2016–17: 2 * EY Champions Trophy **''Winners'': 2017 ;

Regular Season **''Winners'': 2012 ;

**''Runners Up'': 2008–09, 2010–11 * Irish Senior Cup **''Runners Up'': 2010–11 *Women's EuroHockey Club Champion's Challenge I **''Winners'': 2012 ; St. Andrew's College * Leinster Schoolgirls' Senior Cup **''Winners'': 2008–09, 2009–10 **''Runners Up'': 2006–07 *Kate Russell All-Ireland Schoolgirls Championships **''Winners'': 2010

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pinder, Gillian 1992 births Living people Irish female field hockey players Ireland international women's field hockey players Place of birth missing (living people) Female field hockey midfielders Women's Irish Hockey League players UCD Ladies' Hockey Club players Pembroke Wanderers Hockey Club players Syracuse Orange field hockey players Irish field hockey coaches People educated at St Andrew's College, Dublin Alumni of University College Dublin Expatriate field hockey players Irish expatriate sportspeople in the United States Irish women lawyers 21st-century Irish lawyers Sportspeople from Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown Field hockey players from County Dublin 21st-century women lawyers